The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-24


bad news from below, sir."
lis that so. What's upP
Heaps o snow. wagens-and Vests froze
to death.'
Good heavens! You don't say sop
Eyes. He got to Harry's all right, but he's
never showed I'D at the LU-bar. nor at the HV,
and We know that hs never struck the Acorn
rancho down below here Waddy Peacock has
just como from town, and he hasn't been heard
OF there. either, so he's dead man."
This was terrible news Por time we were
quite stunned By it. No wo nder the wagons had
not arrived. When Russell reached Harrys
camp he had found the boys just saddling their
horses to come up and bring US the news, which
had only that day reached them 1t seemed to
be hopeless West ha got lost in the bad
lands. missed tine only ranches that lay
between US and the Yelowsto me- and the chances
We're twenty to one that he lad persisted in the
olizzard that set in afresh on the 18th. 1t is at
aIlt-mes an easy matter for afly one, a cow
boy. to get lost in Montana If the country IS at
all strange to him, and when there is snow on
the ground the difficulty in recognizing land
marks and keeping given direction are in
creased tenfold
That night camp was sad one sure
enough. w hen morning cana the two cowboys
and saddled up and started a search for
West or for news of him. Via went down to
Harry Andrewss camp to magcit base of oper
atoms, and to get the fullest possible informa-
tion Horace Broadhurst had accompanied
West about three miles when he set out for the
LII bar branch, and after long consultation /
decided that Jim and l would ride through the
country the course Wes,t ought TO have
taken. while Russell looked through the bad
lands further to the west. Harry Andrews de-
clared that he would not Civ fifteen cents for
Vests chance of being found alive and with
one accord the cowboys all gave him up for dead.
For my part, told them | wou ld hope to the
last. West was an experienced soldier. who had
spent several winters afield in Montana He was
dressed warmly, and was W bat is called
good rustler.' He had consi derable medical
knowledge, we'll skill in surgery; was
! fs,1 of and al hn hnua nnnr
than once, in perilous pt ssition will think
of ways and means for preserving his life that
one else will. But. the other hand. he
was last seen on the oath of No vember, and. up
to Dec. s. he had not been heardl from. Having
missed those ranches. his onl.r chance was to
strike the Yellowstone. seventh miles or more
further And bell, wed he or his
horse could have lived to do il. The cowboys
were fully convinced that his horse had fallen
into some snow filled coulie, from which it was
impossible to extrcate him. and that West had
probably worked in the snow to get him out IN
til he had got wet and chilled. and afterward
wandered off on foot to perish in few hours.
must confess that this theory struck me with
| terrible significance, for only two days before
| John Archer had got his horse into a snow
filled coulie almost in sight of Il he N-bar ranch,
and had to work all day to get hi N out.
the next day began search, and al
though hoped to find West. er some trace OF
him. we we're mortay afraid THAT We would.
| We might find his pony wandering alive or lying
| dead in coulie, and We might find West him.
self half buried IN the snow, and half eaten by
| the hungry coyotes. Horace Br pdhurst valun-
| teered to accompany Russell, and had not Harry
! Andrews been too sick to leave 81 mp he would
have gone also.
| Jim McNaney and I headed for the LII bar
| ranch. due east, and looked along the way. But
| pshaw! In such country as tn at man lost
| might die and lie unbound for six months. or at
least, until the next roundup. WI len we reached
| the ranch thai night we were n let at the door
| by Mr. Peacock. the foreman We hardly had
fba tim had rid dar
4 far to ask.
"Have YOU heard anything about WestYr
/ Yes He's been found, said MIR Peacock.
| "Alive2"
Yes He's frost-bitten, but all hight He was
taken to town on the 9Th"
"fhank heaven for that"
| Vests experience was terrible one, and also
wonderful case OF self-preservation 1t shows
| what man with a cool head and plenty of grit
/ can 60 through and live When ne left he
| wore two uEdershirts a heavy bla pket shirt. a
| soldiers blouse and oyercoat two lpairs of draw
ers, pair of soldiers wooden ousers, and a
| pair of overalls. On his feet ne wore three pairs
| OF socks, pair of low shoes. with canvas leg
gins, and he started with his feet tied up in
| burlaps. His head and hands also we'll
! protected He carried 3S caber nevolver. but
by great oversight only six matches When
he left Harrys camp. misleading Of going due
| east toward the LUbar ranch, he swung
| around and went southwest cTear around
| the head of the Little Dry and finally
struck the Porcupine, south Of our camp The
first night out he made fire with sage brush,
and kept it going all night. The econd night
he also had fire. but it took his la st match to
make it. During the first three days hs had no
| food but the fourth he shot "a sage-cock
with his revolver and ate it raw. This effort,
however. cost him his last cartridge. Through
| hard work and lack of food his pony presently
gave out. and necessitated long and frequent
stops for rest. Vests fee: thrNatened to
| freeze, and he cut off the skirts of his overcoat
to wrap them with, in place of the e,inny sack
ing that had been worn to rags Being afraid
to go 30 sleep at night, he slept by siiatches in
the warmest part of the day. while esting his
horse.
On the 9Th day he began to despair of succor.
although he still toiled southwark through the
bad lands, toward the Yellowstone. where peo-
ole lived. On the envelopes which contained my
letters. bakers dozen in number, h.s kept a
diary of his wanderinss which could tell his
story when the cowsboys would find his body on
the spring roundup.
On the afternoon of the sixth day he found q
trail and followed it until nearly night. when he
came to Crees sheep ranch, and found the soil
tary ranchman at home The warm hearted
frontiersman gave the starving wanderers. man
and horse, such welcome as they stood in need
Of West solemnly declares that in twenty-iour
hours he ate whole sheep. During the first
night he got up four times to eat After two or
three days of rest and feeding. both horse and
rider were able to 60 on and in course of time
reached Fort Keogh
Without the loss of single day Colonel Glib
son started three teams and an escort up to us,
West had the grit to accompany them guide.
His arrival among once more was like the
dead coming to life again. The train reached
our camp on the 18th, and on the 10th pulled
out for Miles City, loaded to the wagon bows
with specimens, forage and camp plumber
Down Sand creek to the Nv ranch the trail was
in terrible condition, but Ed Hastings was
tranmaster. the other drivers knew their bust
ness well, and it was beautiful to this way
those wagons were got along. Whenever a
bank was too steep. or wagon stuck in the
mud-it was soft weather just then-the teams
were doubled up. the distressed vehicle ''sn aked'
out. and on ratified again.
Whenever tired team got stuck ther,
was always pair of led mules handy to hitch or
and pull everything behind them. AS train
master. Hastings was perfect jewel--skllfu
pushing careful, patient and very obliging
We dreaded being caught by blizzard ou
way in: but although it turned cold again, ant
tried hard to storm, my lucky star shone on u
all the way, and we went in lust sailin'," a
the boys said We pulled into Miles City on th
Goth of December. and then the way it did snoy
and turned cold was caution! Two days late
the ferry boats on the Yellowstone had to sto
running on account of the floating ice.
Thus ended the last buffalo hunt OF buhral
we killed and captured twenty five head to sh on
for which we had twenty four skins, one hea,
) and eight fresh skeletons of big bulls. We ais
A>I s~lA 49, u e l.